Nikolas Schiller, working with aerial maps, makes complex new patterns by altering them digitally, and his most inspired pieces are the ones that look easy. Convinced each of us has the capacity to change things, Schiller believes that to change the world, we should start with maps.

Now what I find mildly amusing is that the sentence “Convinced each of us has the capacity to change things, Schiller believes that to change the world, we should start with maps.” was more or less already published in a previous edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The curator of the show chose a quote from the 2007 Washington Post article about me and placed it near my map “Israel / Palestine 1993. What the author of this article didn’t realize was that the Philadelphia Inquirer published a syndicated version of the Washington Post article that contained the exact same quote.

Maps are composed of signs. In addition to text, they include linear patterns and coded colors; a sense of rhythm and predictability is part of their visual appeal. Issues of scale and modularity, either organic or mechanically imposed, are contemporary art concerns, as well. Digital kaleidoscopic repetition of aerial photographs is blogger Nikolas Schiller’s shtick. He calls his quilt-like pieces “geospatial art.” Four of his works in this show are based on the Gershman Y seen from above, and a fifth is a Star of David configuration made of fragments of disputed territories of Israel and Palestine. Appealing lacy patterns in muted greens, brick reds and white evoke myriad references from Victorian decoration to Islamic mosaics to cellular division. On the other hand, like the similarly attractive fractal patterns, they end up being more decorative than profound.

Last month I took the bus up to Philadelphia to attend the opening of Mapping:Outside/Inside at the Gershman Y. With my camera out of commission I borrowed my friend’s camera and while I was able to snap a couple photos, I’m not happy with how any of these photos turned out. They look either bleached out or fuzzy or both. Oh well. I had a great time at the opening and was pleased to have been invited to participate in such a fun exhibition. I hope to update this entry later with the names of each of the pieces shown in the photos below.

Based off of one sample of the Gershman Y Quilt #2, I developed a series of 8 different tessellations, and I selected the four maps that were the most visually appealing. This map will be printed out for my upcoming exhibition in Philadelphia. This map concludes this series. I’m looking forward to seeing how they all look printed out.

Based off of one sample of the Gershman Y Quilt #2, I developed a series of 8 different tessellations, and I selected the four maps that were the most visually appealing. This map will be printed out for my upcoming exhibition in Philadelphia.

Based off of one sample of the Gershman Y Quilt #2, I developed a series of 8 different tessellations, and I selected the four maps that were the most visually appealing. This map will be printed out for my upcoming exhibition in Philadelphia.

Based off of one sample of the Gershman Y Quilt #2, I developed a series of 8 different tessellations, and I selected the four maps that were the most visually appealing. This map will be printed out for my upcoming exhibition in Philadelphia.

I’ve started working on a series for next month’s exhibition in Philadelphia. I’m not sure what final scope of the project will end up being, but I’m enjoying the act of making new maps again.

The first in this series is based off of the similarly pattered “eye” series that I used in locations like Kansas City, Missouri and Erie, Pennsylvania. The imagery used in this project is based off of two type of aerial photography from the USGS. This map employs the .75m per pixel spatial resolution that was published in 2004. You can read the metadata here.

While there is newer 2006 imagery at .15m per pixel, there has not been subsequent imagery added to the USGS servers since I made my first generation maps of this city. I found and requested newer imagery from the city of Philadelphia, but was met with no answer upon two e-mails. Therefore I had to follow-up with the older imagery that is slightly out-dated, but just as useful for what I am working on.

I chose .75m resolution imagery for the oblique nature of the imagery. This allows the viewer to see the sides of buildings they would otherwise not see if the photograph was taken directly above; which is the case with most orthorectified imagery. I’m please with the results and look forward to printing it out.

Nikolas Schiller is a second-class American citizen living in America's last colony, Washington, DC. This blog is my on-line repository of what I have created or found on-line since May of 2004. If you have any questions or comments, please contact:If you would like to use content found here, please consult my Fair Use page.